CURRENT GARDEN LORE. 



771 



a knowledge of plant life, plant classification, plant cul- 

 ture, and the principles and practices governing their 

 use in landscape work. — Fruits and Flowers. 



Borer Wash. — J. S. Woodward protests against the 

 mounding of wood-ashes, whether leached or unleached, 

 around peach or other trees, as a preventive of at- 

 tacks by the borer, but recommends a suds made of dirty 

 soap and sweet skim-milk, into which has been mixed 

 enough common water-lime to make a thick whitewash, 

 and using a stiff brush or an old broom for applying it 

 to the trunks of the trees, from the ground or a little be- 

 low it, to a height of a foot or a little more. No insect 

 can penetrate this, and the coat is usually good for a 

 year. 



Scene in a Garden in India. — The engraving shows 

 a view in a garden of one of the great native princes of 

 India — the Gaekwar of Baroda. The absence of the 

 characteristic luxuriant growth of a tropical garden, the 

 palms, cycads, bamboos and other noble foliage plants, 

 is due to the fact that the garden is only of quite recent 

 formation, laid out by Mr. Goldring, of Kew, who writes : 

 ' ' The hill and the water are quite of artificial formation. 

 Under the hill is a rocky grotto, with miniature water- 

 falls, ferns, palms, etc., growing in a natural way, and 

 this place is cool even on the hottest days. The arti- 



A Post-Driver. 



Scene in a Garden in India. 



ficial rocks are made to resemble red sandstone, a tone 

 that harmonizes well with greenery. Rocks are con. 

 structed in groups round the lake, in order to show off 

 to the best advantage the many beautiful climbing plants, 

 which are one of the chief features in Baroda gardens. 

 The bridge is partially festooned with the lovely Ipomaa 

 vitifolia, with vine-like leaves, bronze-purple when young, 

 and pure canary-yellow flowers the size of those of /. 

 Horsfalliiv . The bushes in the foreground are Ipcinaa 

 cariiea, a shrubby plant with cordate leaves and large 

 rose pink flowers, and only climbs when it has the sup- 

 port of a tree or bush." — Gardetiers' Chronicle. 



A Post- Driver. — The device here illustrated can be 

 made entirely at home, excepting the weight and hook. 

 A block of iron weighing 40 or 50 pounds is required. 

 This you can have cast. Its essential features are a ring 



to hoist it by, and grooves in the sides in which to slide 

 the tongues attached to the uprights. To have the dump 

 self-acting, the hook must be made of the precise pattern 

 shown. Any blacksmith can reproduce it. The hook 

 is pulled down to the weight resting on top of the post, 

 and slipped in- 

 to its ring. As 

 the weight is 

 hoisted, the 

 hook-ring will 

 be seen to re- 

 main attheleft- 

 hand end of the 

 slot, as shown. 

 When it h a s 

 reached the 

 height at which 

 it is desired to 

 drop the weight 

 the long tongue of the hook trips against a rod or slat 

 extended across the frame for the purpose, and is pulled 

 down. This act lets the weight slide to the left, and the 

 hook-ring to the right in the slot (see right of picture). 

 The weight is thus freed and falls heavily on the post. 

 Thirteen-foot planks are firmly braced on the front ends 

 of stone-boat planks, held together 

 by irons and bolts eight feet from 

 the ground so they will not interfere 

 with posts being driven. When be- 

 ing drawn from one field or farm to 

 another, the boat planks are connect- 

 ed in front and behind by hooks 

 made of heavy wire. This prevents 

 their spreading. Two pulleys are 

 made of double thicknesses of inch 

 board. The grain of these boards 

 is placed at right angles the one to 

 the other, to prevent splitting. One 

 is hung at the top of the upright, to 

 recei\'e the rope direct from the 

 weight hook, and the other at the 

 rear end of the boat planks on a 

 brace. A horse draws the machine 

 along astride the fence-row, and the posts are held in 

 place by the uprights while being flc 

 driven. Any boy can raise the weight 

 by pulling on the rope. — Home and 

 Farm. 



Device for Heating Water. — A 



cheap way to warm a tank of water 

 is shown in illustration. Assuming 

 that the water-tank is 36 inches deep, 

 get a tin pail as deep and 10 inches 

 in diameter, made with a cover, in f, IjL | 

 which an inch hole is put. Have an^^^f^ 



inch tube, two inches long, soldered 



^, , , , , Device for Heat- 



on near the bottom and punched Water 



through, and to this tube attach an 



inch hose, a, or pipe, making a water-tight joint at b. 



